Disney, other major parks to install metal detectors for holiday seasonORLANDO, Fla. — With the nation increasingly concerned about safety in public, three major theme parks announced Thursday that they are adding security measures including metal detectors ahead of the busy holiday season. Officials at Disney, Universal and SeaWorld’s Florida theme parks said all three parks will be using metal detector screening for guests as they enter. In addition, Disney is discontinuing the sale of toy guns at both its Flor...

London standoff ends peacefullyAccording to a release by the Pope County Sheriff’s Department, at approximately 2 p.m. Wednesday, the Pope County Sheriff’s Deputies, Russellville Police and Arkansas State Police attempted to serve a search warrant at a residence located at 5610 S.R. 333 North. Upon arrival, law enforcement was notified that one of the occupants, Bobby Gene Bridgeman, 31, had made statements that any attempt made by law enforcement to enter the residence wou...

Woman fatally shot, man wounded in Jonesboro residence JONESBORO — Jonesboro police are investigating a shooting that has left one person dead and another injured. Police Department spokesman Paul Holmes says the department responded to a report of a shooting at a residence shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1IcOzi5 ) that officers found a woman fatally shot and a man injured by gunshots. The man was taken to a local hospital and was reported to be ...

Russellville man killed in Chattanooga to be awarded Purple HeartNASHVILLE, Tenn. — After determining a shooting at a Chattanooga reserve center this summer was inspired by foreign terrorists, the Navy will award the Purple Heart to the four Marines and one sailor who were killed and the one Marine who was injured there. U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced the decision Wednesday in a news release. He said the finding that the shooting was terrorist-inspired came after an extensive investigation by the F...

After confession, man could be freed after 28 years in jailDENVER — A man imprisoned for 28 years after a woman said she dreamed that he raped her could be freed after a Denver judge overturned his conviction, saying he would likely be acquitted at a new trial because someone else confessed to the crime. Clarence Moses-EL was convicted in 1988 and sentenced to 48 years in prison for raping and assaulting a woman when she returned home from a night of drinking. When police initially asked who attacked ...

March sentencing scheduled for former Arkansas state senator LITTLE ROCK — A federal judge has scheduled a new sentencing date for a former Arkansas Senate president who pleaded guilty to spending more than $150,000 in campaign funds on personal items. U.S. District Judge Brian Miller said Tuesday that the sentencing for Paul Bookout will now be March 2 in federal court in Little Rock. Bookout had been set for sentencing last month but Miller delayed the proceedings at the request of Bookout's attorneys...

Ex-cop scattered casings, fired shots to back up fake story ENGLAND, Ark. — A former police officer in Arkansas who admitted to fabricating a story that he was shot during a traffic stop has been arraigned. Court documents say Sgt. David Houser made it look like a shooting occurred by scattering shell casings in the road and firing rounds into a nearby field. Houser initially said a driver he pulled over had brandished a handgun and shot him Oct. 24. He later amended his story to say he shot himself in...

Consumer Alert: Car financing tips for service membersLITTLE ROCK — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reports that military service members often become targets of scammers when purchasing or financing a vehicle, including paying money to a scammer posing as a lender who takes their money and disappears. Meanwhile, overseas deployments, or a change-of-duty station, can create financial stress and unique financial difficulties. And some unscrupulous lenders target service members by ...

After the VTech hack, some tips on keeping your kids safeNEW YORK — Parents around the world have been understandably shaken by the hacking of a VTech database containing information on the more than 6 million children who use the company’s toys. But what’s a parent to do? Internet-connected toys such as VTech’s tablets continue to grow in popularity and are expected on many holiday gift lifts this season. Here are some answers to common questions about VTech’s breach and how to protect your kids’ i...

Suspect in stabbing flees from scene and is arrested laterThe Russellville Police Department (RPD) investigated an alleged stabbing Saturday afternoon on Damascus Road. A 25-year-old woman was arrested with the help of the Dardanelle Police Department. According to information provided by RPD Public Information Officer Drew Latch, officers responded to a stabbing at 2:43 p.m. Saturday at the 100 block of Damascus Road. Police determined the suspect had fled the scene before their arrival. The victim ...

Court reverses drunken-driving convictionLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas appeals court judges have reversed and dismissed a drunken-driving conviction, ruling that it resulted from an unconstitutional sobriety checkpoint. The Little Rock Democrat-Gazette reports that Jeremy Whalen was convicted in 2014 after being arrested at an Arkansas State Police checkpoint in 2012. In the decision Wednesday, Judge Waymond Brown wrote there was no evidence presented to support Whalen’s conviction. Whalen’...

The Latest: Arkansas State urges student union evacuationJONESBORO, Ark. (AP) — The Latest on a report of an active shooter at Arkansas State University (all times local): 2:25 p.m. Authorities in northeast Arkansas are sending a negotiator to speak with an armed man who drove onto the center of Arkansas State University's campus. Jonesboro Police Department spokesman Paul Holmes says a negotiator is headed to campus to speak with the man. The university has been on lockdown since about 1:30 p.m. Th...

2 Arkansas juveniles charged in attempted prison escape LITTLE ROCK — Charges were filed Monday against two Arkansas juveniles who are accused of beating two guards during an escape attempt at the Yell County Juvenile Detention Center. The two 17-year-olds were charged as adults in Yell County Circuit Court with aggravated robbery, escape, kidnapping, criminal mischief and two counts of second-degree battery. A call to the detention center for comment was not immediately returned Tuesday. A female ...

Prairie Grove teen charged with giving pills to classmates PRAIRIE GROVE, Ark. — A high school student has been arrested after police say she handed out prescription pills to several classmates, including one who was later in a coma. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1HUj6kD ) the 16-year-old Prairie Grove High School student was arrested Monday. She was charged as a minor with possession of a controlled substance with an enhancement that could increase penalties since the distribut...

Deputy: Gator killed man in community hit by burglaries PALM BAY, Fla. — Authorities say a man who may have hidden as officers investigated reports of two suspicious men in a Florida community targeted by recent burglaries was killed by an 11-foot alligator. Brevard County Sheriff's Maj. Tod Goodyear says 22-year-old Matthew Riggins told his girlfriend he would be in Barefoot Bay to commit burglaries with another suspect. Authorities received calls Nov. 13 about two suspicious men in black walking ...

Ex-Saline County sheriff sentenced to prison for wire fraud LITTLE ROCK — Former Saline County Sheriff Bruce Pennington has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison for wire fraud. U.S. Attorney Christopher Thyer says the 64-year-old Pennington was sentenced Monday in federal court in Little Rock after pleading guilty in August to using money from his campaign account to pay for personal items and expenses charged to his sheriff's office credit card. Pennington had faced up to 20 years in priso...

Police search for inmate who escaped jail in Magnolia MAGNOLIA — Police are searching for an inmate who escaped the Columbia County Detention Center in Magnolia over the weekend. The Columbia County Sheriff's Office says 35-year-old Craytonia Badger escaped from jail at some point Sunday night. KATV-TV reports (http://bit.ly/21LErTy ) that Badger was serving time for commercial burglary, criminal impersonation, failure to appear, furnishing a prohibited article and theft of property. Authorities ...

PCDC inmate diesAn inmate at the Pope County Detention Center died at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center on Monday after being found unconscious at approximately 11:55 a.m. Sunday at the Pope County Detention Center. According to a press release by the Pope County Sheriff’s office, the inmate was discovered by jail personnel, who immediately began CPR and contacted Pope County EMS. The inmate was transported to Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center and subse...

Cops’ versions of killing at odds with videoCHICAGO — Police officers who watched a colleague shoot a black Chicago teenager 16 times filed reports depicting a very different version of events than what dashcam footage showed, portraying the teen as far more menacing than he appeared in the video. The city released hundreds of pages of documents late Friday pertaining to the October 2014 killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Jason Van Dyke, a white police officer. Van Dyke was charg...

Sheriffs beat• A Russellville woman reported to Pope County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) Sgt. Damon McMillan that approximately $8,000 in power tools, hand tools and personal papers were allegedly stolen from a shop behind a residence on Upper McGuire Loop. She stated she agreed to move in with a male suspect last month in Lu Anne, Ark., where the suspect took the items from the shop. He allegedly told her she could have the items back when she returned a check...

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Compiled By Sean IngramThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley